Container cleaning or drying apparatus



June 15, 1954 FIGNI.

CONTAINER CLEANING OR DRYING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 14, 1949 E A! p N N N 5 shaves-sheet 1 '1 w m D ID INVENTORS GEORGE W. BAKER BY ALBERT M. OLSON ATTORNEY June 15, 1954 G:W. BAKER EI'AL CONTAINER CLEANING OR DRYING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 14, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 TTP GEO GE VLBAKER ALBERT MOLSON INVENTORS A4624, ATTORNEY June 15, 1954 G: W; B'KKER ET'AL I CONTAINER CLEANING OR DRYING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 14, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 v 6 98 9A0 96 O RN E0 Y E E 8 w M W mum m .T m A RE om WA W V. B mk mu Q 5 m #0 m vm June 15, 1954 e. w. B KgR ETAL 2,630,865

CONTAINER CLEANING QR DRYING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 14, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG.4.

IFIG.5.

a 5 ALBERT M. OLSON JNVENTORS By Z24 Zulu/L ATTORNEY GEORGE W. BAKER June 15, 1954 w. BAKER ETAL 2,680,866

CONTAINER CLEANING OR DRYING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 14, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 RGE W. B R ERT M.O N

INVENTORS ATTORNEY Patented June 15, 1954 CONTAINER CLEANING R DRYING APPARATUS George W. Baker, Milwaukee, and Albert M. Olson, Wauwatosa, Wis., assignors to Chain Belt Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application November 14, 1949, Serial No. 127,134

9 Claims. 1

This invention relates to container cleaning and/or drying apparatus and provides a com pletely automatic apparatus for washing and drying containers of substantially circular cross section.

For a number of years the canning industry has made use of high production methods in which operations are performed on so-called can lines. More and more emphasis is being placed on speed and in reducing the time required for filling, sealing, sterilizing, cooling and labeling. This means that the lines are moving faster.

It is essential to the preservation of color, taste and nutritive value that the sterilizing cycle be timed accurately and that the comestible be cooled rapidly from sterilization temperatures so that elevated temperatures do not overcook the comestible. Modern sterilizers for canned comestibles are capable of straight line operation at high rates of production, as is the cooling equipment following the sterilizer, which is additionally capable of rapidly reducing the temperature. Such cooling is generally accomplished by exposing the containers to a cooling liquid, customarily water. The final temperature of the cans is preferably so low that the moisture will not evaporate readily.

Upon leaving the cooler, the external surfaces of the containers may not only be thoroughly wet from the cooling liquid, as described above, but they may also be contaminated by collections of the comestible spilled thereon during the filling operation or by rust, grease and other foreign matter picked up from the processing equipment. If labels are put on the containers while they are in the aforesaid condition, an unsightly appearance results, which has a decidedly adverse effect on customer acceptance. It is also important that the beaded portions of the ends of the containers be cleaned so that foreign matter thereon will not rub off on adjacent labeled containers when packing and unpacking them in their shipping cartons.

Labels are ordinarily applied to the cylindrical surface of the containers and accordingly, apparatus is required to clean and/or dry these cylindrical surfaces, as well as the beads at the ends of the containers. The cleansing apparatus must be capable of operating at a high speed in order to keep up with the other machinery in modern canning plants. Present rates of production often call for apparatus capable of processing containers at a rate from 200 to over 350 cans per minute. The most satisfactory means for cleaning at this high rate of speed is a rotating brush or buifing wheel which grazes the cylindrical surface of the containers, and in order to achieve high speed it is essential that the containers be propelled positively past the aforesaid brush or bufing wheel.

An apparatus disclosing rotating buffing wheels and positive container propulsion is shown in Patent No. 1,415,258 to A. Nelsen. This apparatus, however, does not disclose any automatic feeding arrangement or any discharging mechanism capable of operating at high speed.

In the copending application of one of the joint inventors hereof, Albert M. Olson, Serial No. 717,498, filed December 20, 1946, now Patent No. 2,597,946, there is disclosed a can cleaning apparatus in which the cans enter the machine lying on their sides and in end-to-end relation and are brushed while they slide on a supporting member which is set at an angle to a rotating guide member. Although this machine is effective in cleaning and/0r drying the sides of cans, and some of the features thereof are incorporated in the present machine, the use of the machine disclosed in said application is limited to installations Where the containers are conveyed to the machine in end-to-end relation. In many instances in canning operations, the axes of the cans are transverse to the direction of can travel, with the cans standing on end, or rolling on their sides; in fact these latter arrangements are the usual ones in which cans are conveyed, and they are readily interchangeable with each other by means of devices called can twisters.

Originally it was proposed to provide a separate machine for turning the cans from standing position to end-to-end position and then to feed the cans into a washer or drier as disclosed in the aforesaid Olson application. Such a turning machine forms the subject matter of our 00- pending application, Serial No. 64,566, filed December 10, 1948, now Patent No. 2,656,033, and some of the features of that application are likewise incorporated in the present machine. For receiving the cans after they were cleaned and standing them on end, the separate can turner as disclosed in U. S. Patent 2,538,408, issued J anuary 15, 1951, to our common assignee, was em-- ployed.

It is the general object of this invention to provide in a single apparatus a combination of elements that will operate to receive a continuously moving supply of containers arranged with their axes transverse to their direction of motion (the normal position in which containers are conveyed between processing stations in a canning plant) which will then automatically feed said containers to the cleaning and drying members with the containers turned to a position in which their axes are aligned in the direction of motion; which will clean and/ or dry them while so arranged and finally deliver them continuously to a receiving conveyer in the axial position in which they were received (the normal position in which they are conveyed to the labeling machinery).

While it is recognized that the Nelsen patent provides means for turning the cans leaving the buffing wheels so as to stand them on end, the apparatus shown for this purpose could not be relied upon to turn the cans if the latter are moving at high speeds, and accordingly it is a feature of this invention to provide novel. improved apparatus for reorienting the cans leaving the bufflng wheel which will not cause jams or fail in operation at high speeds of the order mentioned.

It is the further object of this invention to provide apparatus capable of performing all of the operations stated above continuously at a speed in the range of 200 to 350 or more cans per minute.

It is a further object of this invention to eliminate the necessity for manual operation other than in starting and stopping the apparatus.

It is a further object of this invention to reduce the number of cleaning members formerly employed for the purpose and to thereby reduce cost and simplify adjustment of said members.

It is a further object of this invention to perform the aforesaid operations in a compact, unitary apparatus adapted to occupy a minimum amount of floor space.

A further object of this invention is to provide discharge mechanism capable of turning containers from axes-aligned to axes-transverse position and to deposit the containers in said last mentioned position without damaging or overturning them.

Still further objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

According to this invention, containers are received in a position in which their axes are transverse to their direction of movement and in this position are spaced apart and fed to an endless conveyor provided with projecting flights. The feeding, spacing and conveyer elements all operate in timed relationship whereby containers are caused to be fed to the conveyer slightly in advance of a flight so that each of said flights may propel a container. Under the influence of the conveyer and flights, containers are turned to a position in which their axes are aligned and then causec, while rotating at high speed, to pass in grazing relationship to a cleaning or buffing member which removes moisture from the cylindrical surface of the containers. Because of the high speed of rotation, water on the ends of the containers is centrifuged to their peripheries and removed by the brush, thus accomplishing the removal of water from the ends as well as the cylindrical surface of the containers. A spray of cleaning fluid is preferably provided over the first portion of the buffing member as an aid to removing solid matter from the containers. After being cleaned and dried, the containers are fed seriatim into pockets on a rotating member, picked up and deposited in axestransverse position at the output end of the apparatus, ready for subsequent processing. Control elements are provided at the discharge end of the apparatus to overcome tipping tendencies 4 induced by the inertia of the containers while moving under the influence of the rotating discharge member.

The invention will be described in detail in reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment'the'reof and wherein:

Fig. l is a top plan view of the can cleaning and drying apparatus, with portions broken away in order to facilitate illustration;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, also partly broken away to facilitate illustration;

3 is a side elevation taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing the details of the flight conveyer and discharge mechanism;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are detail views of the discharge mechanism showing the sequence of operation in which containers are lifted from the flight conveyer, deposited in axes-transverse position and pushed out of the machine in order to avoid can jams and damage by successive flights. These views also show the details of the tip-over preventing members which constitute one of the features of this invention.

Fig. 7 is an end view from the discharge end of the can cleaner and drier shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 8 is a section taken on the Fig. 3.

Referring to the details of the drawings, the apparatus is shown as built upon a frame or chassis ll. Suitable supporting members such as the legs illustrated in the drawings may be used to support the chassis at any desired elevation above floor level.

Containers are customarily conveyed between processing stations in a canning plant either standing upon end on a conveyer mechanism, or rolling on their cylindrical sides in a guiding trough. In either event, the container axes are transverse to their direction of motion. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, containers are received from the preceding conveyer, not shown, in standingonend position. Should the containers on the preceding conveyer be rolling on their sides, they may be turned to standing-on-end position by a can twister of conventional type well known in the art.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, containers progress through the cleaner from left to right. Upon arriving at the left-hand end, or entry side, of the apparatus the containers are automatically moved into the machine by means of a feed line fl--t of conveyer l2 composed of parallel chains is articulating over driving sprockets i l and idler sprockets It. The upper run of the chains i3 is supported against the weight of the containers by means of a supporting plate It.

As containers move to the right on the feed conveyer 52, they are brought into contact with a horizontal rotating auger i? formed with a thread contour that is substantially a circular are between crests, said arc having a larger radius than that of the containers. As may be seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the crest diameter of the auger is tapered at its left end, said crest di ameter increasing until full diameter is reached at approximately the midportion of the auger. Because of this taper, containers are brought progressively more under the influence of the auger as they progress toward the right, and container damage due to containers riding upon the thread crest is averted at the entry point.

As a further safeguard against container damage, spaced parallel spring members l8 are provided parallel to the auger and on the transversely opposite side of the feed conveyer l2. These spring members function as guides, yieldably holding containers in contact with the auger while providing relief for a container should it momentarily ride upon the crest of the auger thread.

The auger I7 is journalled at one of its ends in a bearing 19 and adjacent its other end in a sleeve bearing 20 and is rotated'by means of a bevel gear 2! driving a bevel pinion 22 which is fixed to that end of the auger which extends through the sleeve bearing 20.

The speed of rotation of the auger I1 is such that containers engaged by its thread progress at a slower rate than the lineal speed of the feed conveyer l2. Because of the speed differential, containers are continually urged to the right (Figs. 1 and 2) by the feed conveyer l2 against the resistance of the auger l1 and are caused to ride as far forward on the thread of said auger as its profile will permit. Thus, each successive container is released by the auger at the same point on the feed conveyer l2.

Referring to Fig. 3, in which containers progress from right to left, it may be seen that upon being released by the auger I'I containers move forward quickly, being conveyed by the feed conveyer it, until their forward motion is arrested by a can track 23 which straddles a flight conveyer 24 that articulates over head sprocket 25 and tail sprocket 26.

The flight conveyer 24 comprises a chain 21 having a plurality of vertical projecting flights 28 equally spaced apart a distance greater than the length of the cylindrical containers fed into the machine, so that the space between flights forms a container receiving pocket. The flights 28 form fingers for positively propelling containers and are rigidly attached to the chain so that they always remain substantially perpendicular to the chain at their point of attachment. The length of the flights 28 is such that each of them projects a distance slightly greater than a container diameter above the can track 23, thereby engaging the container bead at two points for maximum protection against damage to the end of the container. every fourth link is provided with a pair of depending guide plates 29 which straddle a track 36 beneath the upper run of the flight conveyer 24 to prevent transverse movement in that portion of the conveyer run. The track or bar 30 also serves as a support against sagging in said portion of the conveyer run.

The flight conveyor 24, auger I! and feed conveyer i2 are all driven (in a manner subsequently described) in timed relationship so that containers arrive seriatirn at the can track 23 just as a flight 28 moves upward into horizontal position. As the flight 28 continues upward around the sprocket 26, the container is lifted from the feed conveyer I2 and, riding upon the arcuate portion of the can track 23, is propelled into a track, in which position the container is lying on position on the upper straight run of said can its side with its axis aligned in its direction of motion.

Because of the ell'ects of inertia, the containers, as they are moved to lying down position as aforesaid, tend to continue in a path straight upward instead of following the curvature of the can On the inside of the chain 5.

track 23. To overcome this tendency a tunnellike guard 3|, shown broken away in Fig. 3 and in profile in Fig. '7, is provided to restrict movement of the container to the desired arcuate path along said can track.

Upon emerging from the tunnel-like guard 3| containers have been turned to an axis-aligned position and are progressing in end-to-end relationship along the upper straight run of the can track 23 and flight conveyer 24, being positively propelled by the vertical flights 28 on the chain 21. While so progressing, the containers pass between a cylindrical roller or guide member 32 and a cylindrical brush or buffer 33 both having their axes parallel to the can track and being located on transversely opposite sides thereof. (See Figs. 1, '7 and 8.) As shown in Fig. 8, the top of the can track or support 23 is spaced above chain 27 and to one side thereof so that the vertical plane through the center of the cans is offset from the track 23 and the cans are cradled or balanced between the track 23 and the guide roll 32. The flight 28 contacts the ends of the cans between the supporting track 23 and the guide roll 32 and is located about the same distance from the aforesaid vertical plane as the track 23, but on the opposite side. As also illustrated by Figs. '7 and 8, the centers of the brush, guide roll and containers are in substantial alignment.

The roller 32 is journalled in bearings 3t and rotated by means of a sheave 35 driven by V-belts from motor 36. The direction of rotation (as shown by the arrows in Figs. 1 and '7) is such that the roller surface moves upward toward the container, thereby tending to lift the container from the track and permitting it to rotate and slide freely on the can track 23. The roller is covered by a resilient tractive material, such as rubber, so that slippage is reduced to a minimum and the container is thus caused to rotate at a peripheral speed approximately equal to the peripheral speed of rotation of the roller.

The brush 33 is journalled in bearings 31 and driven by means of a sheave 38 and V-belts from motor 36. It may be noted by reference to the arrows in Fig. 8 that the containers and the brush are rotating in opposite directions, and that the brush rotates downwardly toward the container, thereby discouraging it from riding up under the influence 0f the roller. Brushing downwardly toward the container has a further advantage in that water removed from the container is thrown downwardly toward the chassis portion of the machine rather than upwardly where it would form a spray that would fall back upon the operating portion of the machine and the containers and hamper the drying thereof. In the embodiment illustrated, using a cylindrical brush, it is desirable to rotate the container and brush at different peripheral speeds so that the surfaces slide with respect to each other and thereby create a buffing or brushing action. The rotative speed diflerential may be adjusted for varying conditions of use; a small differential giving long brush life where the containers are not greatly contaminated, and a large differential being preferred where the containers need a vigorous brushing action.

The roller or guide member bearing brackets 40 are adjustably mounted by means of studs and slots 4| and may be adjusted transversely by means of set screws 42. Elevational adjustment is accomplished in a like manner by means of set screw 43 (see Fig. 7). By means of these adjustments the tension of roller against container may be regulated, thereby permitting the machine to accommodate containers of different diameters and also permitting adjustment for optimum brushing action. For the same reasons, the brush 33 is transversely adjustable in a similar manner by means of set screws M.

In order to permit successful continuous operation of the apparatus, particularly as a drier, means must be provided to remove water from the brush so that it will not become water logged. To accomplish this purpose, an adjustable stripping blade 45 is employed. Water removed from the brush by the stripper falls into a trough Bl from which it flows into a drain. In order to catch any water that might be thrown on by the brush and roller during operation of the machine, these members are enclosed by a hood 46.

One or more spray nozzles 41 (Figs. 1 and 7) are mounted adjacent the container entry end of the brush and adjusted to discharge a cleaning liquid or solution onto the brush adjacent its point of contact with the container. In many instances, water is a suitable cleansing agent; in other case a solution that is a solvent for the adhering matter can be used. This solution may be collected in the trough previously mentioned and recirculated, if desired. This embodiment of the invention is particularly useful if the containers contain an appreciable amount of surface contamination. When employed in this embodiment, the portion of the brush adjacent the point of container entry functions as a scrubber for removing contamination with the help of the cleaning solution, while the portion of the brush adjacent the point of container exit functions as a drier, removing the cleaning solution and leaving the containers polished and dry. The cleaning solution also serves as a means for cleaning the brush and, if desired, nozzles may be provided throughout the entire length of the brush for the purpose of providing solution for cleaning the brush.

A rod 58 centered between the brush and roller and at the elevation of the tunnel-like guard 3| provides a stop, preventing containers, particularly those that are damaged so as to be noncylindrical, from riding up under the influence Of the roller and being expelled from the machine, Or twisted so that they might form a can jam.

Upon leaving the cleaning and drying portion of the machine, the containers enter a second tunnel-like guard 49 arcuately disposed around a portion of the head sprocket 25. Straddling the chain 23 and secured to the head sprocket 25 are two spaced starwheels 50 having a series of symmetrically spaced pockets 5! around their peripheries. The starwheels are oriented so that the rearward face 52 of a pocket moves into horizontal alignment with the can track 23 simultaneously with the arrival of a container completely within the pocket. This, the starting point in the sequence of operations leading to discharge of the containers from the apparatus, is indicated as Position A in Fig. 4.

As the starwheels 59 rotate inthe direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4, the container, cradled upon the two rearward pocket faces 52' of the spaced starwheels is lifted upward off of the can track 23 and carried forward to the Position 3 in Fig. 4. During this translation the tunnel-like guard is confines the container to the desired arcuat'e path and prevents the effectsof inertia from expelling the container from the iii pocket, or otherwise twisting it so that it might jam the apparatus. It should be noted that in Position B of Fig. 4 the container has slid forward in the pocket in its direction of motion until arrested by the night 28 next preceding the flight 28 which propelled the can into the discharge mechanism.

Fig. 5 illustrates (Position C) the next step in the discharge sequence. When a can is rotated by the. starwheel to a position in which its axis is vertical, it is discharged upon a platform 53 and pushed, first by the rearward face 52 of the pocket in the starwheel (illustrated as Position C in Fig. 5) and second by the flight 28 (illustrated as Position D in Fig. 6) thus ejecting the can from the machine ready for further processing.

As containers are moved from axis-horizontal to axis-vertical position as above described, centrifugal and other forces act upon the containers. At high speeds these forces manifest themselves differently upon different containers, complicating the problem of providing a foolproof, jamproof apparatus. To evercome this difiiculty, this invention provides in addition to the tunnellike guard 49 previously mentioned, the control elements 54 and 55.

The upper control element or stabilizer 54 (see Figs. 3 and l) engages the uppermost portion of a container if its top tends to move ahead of its bottom and thus prevents the container from overturning in its direction of motion. As shown in Fig. 3, this upper control element is adjustable horizontally by means of set screws 54' and vertically by means of set screws 5 5'.

The lower control elerrent 55 is adjusted to engage and impart a forward motion to the lowermost portion of a container as it moves into pcsition to be set upon the platform 53. In this manner the tendency of the can to tip over forwardly under the pushing of the starwheel and flight, previously described, is minimized and containers are discharged upon the discharge platform standing on their bottoms. The for-* ward motion imparted to the bottom of the container also serves to equalize its speed in the direction of motion with the speed of the top end of the container, which, because of the relative radii of translation under the influence of the starwheels, is moving at a higher rate of speed. As shown in Fig. 3, the lower control element is adjustable laterally by means of set screws 55.

Power for operating the feed, conveying and discharge mechanisms of the machine is supplied by a gear head motor 56, which drives a sheave 51 (see Fig. l). A shaft 58, which drives head sprocket 25 to which the starwheels 5!} are secured, is driven by a sheave 59 by means of a V-beit 59 from sheave 5?. The tension of the V-belt 59' on sheaves 5i and 58 is normally adjusted so that the drive will slip should a can jam occur anywhere within the apparatus or should a jam in apparatus downstream from the can cleaner cause a backup of cans at the discharge end'. In this manner the drive is interrupted Without damaging cans or the apparatus. The power required to drive the feeding, convey ing and discharge mechanisms is considerably less than that required to rotate the cans and cleaning member. This fact makes possible a further feature of this invention, for by driving the cleaning members separately, it is possible to provide overload relief for the feeding, conveying and discharging members at a low power level, which makes unnecessary relief mechanism capable of dissipating considerable power. Further, the

magnitude of the overload required to stall the motor 56 is small and, should the overload protector fail to function, the torque exerted by the stalled motor is not sufficient to damage the op erating portions of the machine, or the container which caused the jam.

Tail sprocket 26 is driven by means of chain 21 from head sprocket 25. A shaft fill to which the tail sprocket 26 is keyed, is turned by tail sprocket 26, and from this shaft 50 the auger H and feed conveyor I2 are driven in the proper timed relationship, as previously described.

From the foregoing description it is readily apparent that this invention provides a rapid and efiicient machine for washing and/or drying containers. The arrangement of elements is such that the containers are confined and controlled in their movements from the time they enter the machine until they leave it, and yet there is a minimum amount of friction between the containers and the operating elements of the machine.

While, for convenience, the description has been written for a can or container washer or drier, it is to be understood that the apparatus is equally adapted to cleaning or drying other objects of similar configuration. Accordingly, the scope of the patent is to be limited only by the clear import of the following claims, wherein the word cleaning is intended to include and embrace drying, whether separate from or a part of the cleaning operation.

We claim:

1. In apparatus for cleaning the peripheral surfaces of cylindrical containers having a conveyer with spaced flights arranged to propel the containers with their axes aligned in their direction of motion, mechanism for discharging the containers from said apparatus with their axes transverse to their direction of motion comprising a rotatable member having at least one containerengaging face for engaging containers seriatim while they are so propelled, said rotatable member lifting the containers out of contact with the flight conveyor and advancing the containers during turning until they engage the rearward face of the flight just preceding them, and means for arresting further turning movement of the containers.

2. In apparatus for cleaning the peripheral surfaces of a moving supply of cylindrical containers having an endless conveyer with spaced flights arranged to propel the containers with their axes aligned in their direction of motion and a discharge sprocket over which the conveyer is trained, mechanism for discharging the containers from said apparatus with their axes transverse to their direction of motion comprising a member rotatable about the axis of the discharge sprocket, said member having at least one contamer-engaging face for engaging containers seriatim while they are so propelled, said rotatable member lifting the containers out of contact with the flight conveyer and advancing the containers during turning to cause them to engage the flight just preceding them, and means for receiving the containers.

3. Apparatus for turning containers from axisaligned to axis-transverse position comprising a rotatable member having at least one pocket for engaging containers in axis-aligned position and turning them to axis-transverse position, a receiving member for receiving containers in said last mentioned position and means engageable with said containers as they rotate into axistransverse position to arrest overturning, said means comprising a member engageable with the uppermost portion of the containers to decelerate the forward motion thereof and a second member engageable with the lowermost portion of the containers to accelerate the forward motion thereof.

4. Apparatus for turning containers from axisaligned to axis-transverse position comprising a rotatable member having at least one pocket for engaging containers in axis-aligned position and turning them to axis-transverse position, a receiving member for receiving containers in said last mentioned position and means enga-geable with said containers as they rotate into axistransverse position to arrest overturning, said means comprising an upper curved member adjustable to engage the uppermost portion of the container as it approaches said receiving member and a lower curved member adjustable to engage and advance the lowermost portion of the container as it app-roaches said receiving member.

5. In apparatus for receiving cylindrical con tainers arranged in axis-parallel position, reorienting said containers to axis-aligned position and cleaning them while in said last mentioned position; an endless conveyer having at least one projecting flight constituting a container pushing member, a container-supporting trackway having an arcuate entry portion and a substantially straight portion aligned with said conveyer, and means arranged to feed said containers while they are travelling in axis aligned position in spaced relation against the arcuate portion of said trackway, said conveyer and feeding means operating in timed relation whereby containers are fed seriatim in advance of said flight and are impelled thereby around the arcuate portion of the trackway and over its straight portion.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein the trackway is slotted and straddles the conveyer flight extending therethrough.

7. In apparatus for cleaning the cylindrical surfaces of cans while they are arranged end-toend and lying on their sides, an endless chain conveyer having a substantially horizontal upper run and spaced flights for propelling the cans, spaced sprocket wheels over which the chain is trained, means feeding the cans while standing on end seriatim into the path of the conveyer flights while the chain is travelling upwardly around one of the sprockets, and rotating means concentric with the other sprocket for receiving the cans and discharging them in axes parallel and upstanding position.

8. In apparatus for cleaning the peripheral surfaces of cylindrical containers of the type consisting of a rotatable brush and a rotatable guide roll spaced apart to rotate and brush a procession of containers arranged end-to-end and passing therebetween, the improvement which comprises a stationary support arranged beneath the container and on one side of the centers thereof, said support being substantially parallel to the axes of the brush and roll, whereby the containers are cradled between the support and the rotatable guide member, and a movable conveyer having flights extending between the support and guide member for propelling the containers longitudinally of the brush and guide roll, the flights and the support engaging the containers at substantially the same distance on opposite sides of a vertical plane through the centers of the containers.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8, in which the flight ex "and thereby -beaded containers.

References Cited in the file of this patent tends above the top of the containers engages only the beads at the ends of UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number 12 Name "Date Nelsen 'May 9, 1922 Allen Mar. 20,1923 Lawrence July 15, .1924 ,Eberhart Mar. 17, 1925 Dreher -Oct. 4, 1932 Galloway Feb. 21, 1939 Joa Sept. 2, 19.41 Borkmann iMay 23, 1950 Olson May 2'7, 1952 

